


The Tree of Hope

by CallisaRose



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M, Mentions of Blood, mentions of battle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:27:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25561309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CallisaRose/pseuds/CallisaRose
Summary: Yixing grows tired of War always taking his Creations for granted.
Relationships: Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Zhang Yi Xing | Lay
Comments: 10
Kudos: 34
Collections: Challenge #5 — Opposites Attract





	The Tree of Hope

**Author's Note:**

> The author apologizes for Inconsistent capitalization. Thanks AA, SA, H for the love and support  
> Inspired by a line in La Vie Boehme from Rent: The opposite of War isn’t Peace, it’s Creation

Yixing placed his hands in the dirt, encouraging the Earth to drink. He mourned the sheer volume of blood a single battle could shed. But from the blood, the Earth gained new energy, stronger soil, healthier plants. He looked around the crimson fields, bodies crushed and split open, lives his kind had brought forth, scattered like petals to the wind. He made his way to a tree on the outskirts of the battlefield. He grew lethargic, drained. Creating was a gift, a testament to his character as a human. After his life he’d been blessed with an eternity of watching the world grow, helping it thrive. But at a cost to his temporary comfort.

Of course, Creating meant reusing energy from what had been Lost. For Yixing, his counterpoint was War. They had spent centuries raging against one another. He brought forth crops and livestock, natural ecosystems flourished, populations soared in harmony and beauty and light… and then War came along with its beating drums and blood-slick swords to stamp out his efforts. And so it went, ages and generations flashed by as he struggled against War’s vessel, Kyungsoo. Empires rose and fell in their wake and it only served to chip away, gently, at his heart. 

For every War-ravaged town he rebuilt, another was razed to the ground. He had tried to flee, jumping counties, countries, continents. But to no avail. He and Kyungsoo were Destined to work together. In Harmony. In Balance. 

After a time, Yixing grew weary. His optimism to see the beauty and light in his work was eclipsed by images seared into the backs of his eyelids. Scarlet blood pouring from a soldier replaced the memory of his bloody birth. A healthy squalling baby no more, he collapsed amongst his brothers in arms. Forests he had cultivated for years reduced to ash over the course of a few scant days. He remembered the longing and desperation that had plagued his heart as he wandered aimlessly. The will to continue on had begun to fade, like a rock reduced to sand by the ocean. He knew that Death wasn’t kind to the Earth’s Keepers who had failed in their duties, but he could no longer imagine spending eternity creating fodder for Violence and Pain and Ruin. 

And that was how Kyungsoo had found him. Curled in on himself, weeping gently over a child he had brought to the world only seven years prior. These were the casualties that hit him hardest. The lives that had not yet truly begun. A gentle touch on his shoulder startled him. _She will never know pain again._ It was Kyungsoo. Of course it was Kyungsoo. No one else could reach him. _She will never again know love, either._ It was churlish, he knew. But an eternity of seeing his creations fall… it seemed suddenly too cruel to bear. He questioned if he had truly been favored in life, or if this Gift was really a Curse. 

_Look up, look at the night’s sky and tell me she isn’t dancing among the constellations. Her light will shine on, in Peace._ Sure enough, Yixing looked up to the sky and felt the little girl’s joy radiating from the stars. Her energy surged by his side, begging him to continue the cycle. He grabbed Kyungsoo’s proffered hand, closing his eyes. He begged the Earth to make this one something special. To allow this child to have a legacy on Earth that would far outlive the memories of this war. 

From that moment on, he and Kyungsoo worked not against one another, but in tandem. Nothing much changed for the world, but his whole existence shifted on its axis. Instead of a foe, he had a friend. Often more. Someone who understood his pain and patience, anger and agony. Any time he needed him, Kyungsoo appeared at his side. They needed each other. Yixing couldn’t create life and energy without Kyungsoo making each available to him. 

He enjoyed his work again. He created beautiful meadows and marshes for his children to frolic in. Each time War claimed another victim, Yixing was given another canvas to paint. 

A tree grew from the place that little girl had died. With it, grew Yixing’s spirit. Beautiful, wild, stern Kyungsoo— who dealt the death blows and still reveled in the beauty of Creation— became his inspiration. His Lover. His true counterpart. They spent evenings wrapped in each other, in their pain, in their own little slice of eternity. The stars kept them company, vibrant little lights to remind them that nothing was ever truly lost. 

And so time passed, and with it their bond grew. Yixing saw a new perspective on everything he thought he knew. And he owed it all to the beautiful, consistent Keeper that hadn’t allowed him to succumb to his grief. That had shown him the beauty in the battles. 

Kyungsoo was the constant in his life. Kyungsoo brought him joy and pain. And Kyungsoo made sure, without fail, that the strong tree that had been borne of that little girl was never touched. Yixing’s Hope would live on in her branches and the little blossoms she grew every year.

**Author's Note:**

> If you enjoyed this PLEASE leave a kudo and or comment! Please? I don't usually write like this and it would make my day! Thanks!! <3


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